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Stone Giants
Dred (dredfey) The stone giants, or Dred as they simply refer to themselves, of the Forge have been a mystery ever since the first Cyclican explorer encountered one among the mountainous range. They were quickly determined to be fey of shared ancestry, but their rocky carapaces and enormous stature have made them an outlier of feykind across Eldera. It has been proposed that the first stone giant ancestors decided to make the mountains their home in the hopes of mining for precious metals and gradually became one with their home, the magical properties of their blood creating a shelter within their own bodies. They don’t need to eat as often as other fey, and have interior ducts of hot steam to help keep their temperatures high at all times. If they were ever to freeze they would become quite immobile. While most giants stick to their mountainous home known as Dredhold, some like to travel as merchants of weaponry. They find precious metals and gems to be rather unexciting, but the demand for them within Imperia is so high that they will not depart without them. Because of this, many Imperian inhabitants hold a stereotype that giants are greedy, but it is only because they themselves desire the gems, not the giants. Within the Forge, however, precious gems and tough metals are mined industriously, due to their significant status within the Imperial trade markets. Caravans are sent out very frequently, and return full of various materials and necessities. The giants enjoy tough meats, but they are few inside the mountain, and thus they must trade for it. In the past few cycles, the creation of currency is largely due to the stone giants’ mercantile disposition. Myrrite Myrrite (myrrít in Dreddic) is a magical component mined by the Dred within the deepest tunnels of the Forge. It starts in the form of the stone and has many properties that can be drawn out based on what is done to it. Melted and mixed with herbs, it can hold healing properties. Lit like incense it can provide divination magic. But these properties are largely useless to the fey, for many of them learn basic healing spells as young children. Thus, the major use of myrrite is in weapon and armor form, where its properties are used mostly by rebel humans. The Dred tend to stay out of politics as much as possible, and because most humans can’t survive within the heat of the mountain they do not have slaves. Because of this they hold no ill will toward humanity and in fact hold many trade deals with the rebel humans of the Crystal Peaks. Humans find myrrite armor and weapons incredibly beneficial because the alloys created tend to absorb magical effects. This makes humans less vulnerable to the magical prowess of the fey, and makes myrrite an incredibly desirable component for humans. Even some slaves hold on to myrrite pendants or totems as a beacon of hope, even though it only absorbs magic when smelted with other metals. Because of their associations with rebel humans, fey of Imperia find the stone giants rather frustrating. They are nowhere near as ostracized as the shadowkin of Serath, but they are still looked down upon. Their only saving grace is how immensely powerful they are, and most Imperians are actually quite intimidated by them. Culture An incredibly industrious society, the Dred waste little time on ceremony and ritual. They hold an agnostic position toward the Cyclican gods, acknowledging their purpose in the creation of all feykind, but are largely non-religious in their spirituality. Of course, there are a few outliers who decide to take on a more pious life, but these fey usually end up leaving the strict confines of the Forge. In the same vein, these fey also tend to forgo their magical inclinations. They do use magic for simple daily tasks such as lighting their deep tunnels, or lifting heavy objects, but magic use generally stops there. They spend their time mining and crafting weapons and armor, usually to be traded with other societies. There are a few roles taken up by particular giants, resulting in a sort of brotherhood as they refer to it. Oddly enough, women are also included and referred to as brothers as well, for the Dreddic word for “brother” is actually gender neutral (đrođir). "Brother" was how the first Imperian initially translated the word, so when stone giants speak Imperian they also use the word to refer to female members of the brotherhood. The leader of the Dred is called the eildr, and they are determined by a Trial of Stone. The challenger and current eildr must attempt to haul the ceremonial keystones up the mountain using only their brute strength. It is a fiercely dangerous task; if a giant loses their footing they can easily become crushed. This is to de-incentivize frequent challenges, but also to ensure the current eildr never abuses their power for they also have to haul the keystone and potentially lose not only their position, but their life. Other positions within Dredhold include weaponsmiths known as steypar, enchanters known as töframar, and warriors known as kastalar. There are special myrrite workers referred to as iđnar, and they hold a more honored position amongst the Dred. While myrrite has little meaning aside from its beauty to Imperia, it is seen as incredibly sacred to most Dred. Even giants who have left their home and travel Eldera tend to hold on to a myrrite totem of sorts, and myrrite given as a gift is of the most respected among them. Several stone giants work within Imperia as blacksmiths and enchanters, since they have nearly perfected the artforms. They usually require their own special quarters, since the Dred have many more physical requirements than most. For instance, most Dred sleep sitting upright for their rocky carapaces make lying down rather difficult. They also are, as their name suggests, much larger than the average citizen of Imperia. This makes traversing normally crafted structures difficult, and a lot of ducking is required.